Apparatus for shifting rails.



R. KLEBBR. APPARATUS FOR SHIFTING RAILS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22,1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

COLUMBIA \LANOGRAPM C0,, WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD KLEBER, OF TEPLI'IZ-SCI-IGNAU, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

APPARATUS FOR SHIFTING RAILS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD KLEBER, a citizen of the Austro-HungarianEmpire, and residing at Teplitz-Schonau, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improved Apparatus for Shifting Rails,of which the following is a specification.

The subject matter of the present invention is a process and apparatusfor shifting railway lines or tracks, particularly those of dredger orsteam-shovel plants.

The principle on which the invention is based is that a part of the lineis subjected to bending stress by means of a suitable apparatus,whereupon this apparatus which bends the line is shifted along the lineby means of a locomotive or otherwise. The bend thereby travels forwardin the line and the line is shifted according to the tension imparted toit in the bend.

The process according to my invention differs from well-known processes,in which the line was always lifted before being shifted, owing tosolely a girder or shoe bearing on one rail being employed instead of acarriage which runs on a set of wheels on the rail and carriesadjustable frames, with which the rail is lifted and then bent; the saidgirder or shoe is provided with three catches, rollers or the likedisplaced relatively to one another, of which the two end catches orrollers coact with the head of the rail which is to be bent on the oneside thereof, while the middle catch or roller coacts with the head ofthe rail on the other side thereof, the arrangement being such that thebend in the rail between the catches or rollers travels in the rail whenthe girder or shoe is pushed forward, whereby this rail and the railscoupled with it by the sleepers are shifted laterally without its beingneces sary previously to lift the line.

The advantages of the herein described process and of the apparatus forcarrying the same into practice, in which a rail is solely claspeddirectly at its head by the girder or shoe on it and is thereby bent,consist, apart from the material constructive simplification, in therebeing no wheels to become jammed in the line when shifting the latter,and in its being easier for the apparatus to adapt itself to elevationsand depressions in the ground, whereas the railshifting carriagenecessitates almost perfectly level ground.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 22, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914. Serial No. 791,104.

One form of apparatus for carrying my process into practice isrepresented by way of example in plan in the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the five-railunshifted dredger line or track which is to be shifted accordng to myimproved process by means of my improved apparatus. For the purpose ofcontinuously shifting the line a girder, carrier, shoe or the like 2 isplaced on one rail, for example the right-hand outside rail, and the twoend rollers 3 and 4 which are rotatable about vertical pivots carried bythe glrder or carrier 2 bear against the one side of the rail. In themiddle of the girder is arranged a roller 5 which bears against theother side of the rail; this middle roller 5 is adjustably mounted in aguide 6 in the girder for the purpose of shifting it relatively to theother rollers and thereby producing the tension in the rail by bendingit. It is obvious that instead of making the middle roller adjustableand fixedly mounting the two end rollers, the same effect can beobtained by arranging one of the end rollers adjustable and the middleroller fixed.

Assuming that a locomotive 7 is standing on the line beside the shoe orgirder 2 which bears along its entire length on the top of the rail,said locomotive being used for shifting the shoe 2 after the rail hasbeen bent, and that the roller 5 is shifted to bend the rail between therollers 8 and 4, owing to the track heavily loaded by the locomotive 7not being able to move, the ends of the track are bent outward at thoseplaces where the end rollers 4t and 5 bear against the head of the rail,so that a double bend is produced in the track. If the locomotive 7 nowtravels in the direction of the arrow 8 and drives the cross arm 9 ofthe shoe or girder 2 forward, this double bend in the rail also travelsforward and the section of the line located behind the locomotive isshifted a distance corresponding to this bend. Instead thereof, thelocomotive may be coupled to the front end of the shoe with the sameeffect, and then when the middle roller is tensioned the rail will bendat that place against which this roller bears, and when the shoe isdrawn forward by means of the 10- comotive this bend will also travelforward. The arrangement of the locomotive in line with the middle ofthe shoe is particularly advantageous when it is desired to shift thelast end of the line, whereas when the loco motive is arranged at thefront end of the shoe this last end of the line cannot be shifted in thedescribed manner, but must be moved by hand.

The shoe or girder 2 which carries the anti-friction rollers 3, i and 5may be divided in the vertical plane by one or more horizontal joints insuch manner that it 1. In apparatus for laterally shifting rail-- waylines, a rigid longitudinal member adapted to be carried by a rail andhaving two abutment members adapted to bear 7 a ainst one side of therail and a third abutnient member adapted to bear against the other sideof the rail, one of said abutment members being transversely adjustablerelatively to the others.

2. In apparatus for laterally shifting railway lines,

the combination "of a girder adapted to be laid along one rail, two endanti-friction rollers fixedly mounted at the ends of the girder andadapted to bear against one side of said rail, a middle antifrictionroller transversely adj ustably mounted between said end rollers andadapted to bear against the other side of the rail, and means forshifting said girder longitudinally along the rail.

3. In apparatus for laterally shifting railway lines, a rigidlongitudinal member adapted to be carried by a rail and having twoabutment members adapted to bear against one side of the rail and athird abutment member adapted to bear against the other side of therail, one of said abutment members being transversely adjustablerelatively to the others, said longitudinal member comprising more thanone part pivotally connected together and rotatable about a horizontalaxis.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

RICHARD KLEBER.

Witnesses: v

H. B. ALBRIGHT, A. SCHMIDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

